Ten Years Later
by Dragoon-Yue
Summary: Ten years later Jereth is still in love with Sarah. And that love is about to cause her a whole lot of trouble.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** I made some changes. Tell me what you think!

* * *

He had promised himself that he would move on from her, that he would not come at every opportunity to get even the briefest glimpses of her. She had rejected his love, he reminded himself. But, still, he could not stay away from her. Once, years ago, it would have given him great joy to spy on her as she acted out her stories, now, it was a torture beyond description. Yet he could not stay away. He could not stop himself from coming again and again and tearing his heart into a thousand pieces. Jereth knew that this would eventually destroy him, but that wasn't enough to stop him from coming to see her.

He watched, in his hominid form, in modern clothes from a tree as his beloved Sarah rehearsed her lines with her co-star. Jereth couldn't remember the man's name, which was strange since, unlike his dopleganger, he didn't have troubles with names.

As he watched the two go through the motions and recite the romantic lines he knew that he was growing increasingly jealous – and he knew that he had reason to be. Sarah liked him, a lot more than the 'Goblin King' wanted her to. In fact, the only thing Jereth wanted was to run over to her and beg her once more to love him. But fear stopped him; he could not take being rejected a third time.

Sarah and the man were practicing outside in a beautiful park, one that was noticeably similar to the one in which she used to rehearse the play 'The Labyrinth'. The little book had come from her mother, who, in turn, had gotten it from a disguised Jereth. He had known that she would enjoy the story. He hadn't intended her to live it. But life did tended to take unexpected turns.

How he wished he were allowed to change history. But he wasn't and he had to live with the consequences of his own actions – and the pain of her rejection.

Jereth watched them for almost five, tormenting, hours until it was finally to dark for them to read their scripts. Before Sarah left she went on her toes and kissed the very tall man on the cheek. Jereth's heart clenched agonizingly and his stomach lurched up into his throat where it nearly emptied it's self. Jereth was barely able to restrained himself from lashing out at the unsuspecting man. The fact that he would then have to face Sarah's anger and that she would likely never forgive him was the only thing that stayed his hand.

He took a deep, shaky breath as he shifted his position behind the tree to watch Sarah go by. He followed her – staying carefully out of sight – to the edge of the park. As she started walking down the sidewalk he shifted to his owl form and continued following her.

What he didn't know was that he had been seen by none other than Sarah's co-star, Erik. The man stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded. He had just seen a man transform into a white and pale gold owl. In the years that he had known Sarah he had seen some very strange and inexplicable things that he had come to except as real and even understand. As a result was not one to attribute something he couldn't understand to something he could – such as 'it was a trick of the light' – but he wasn't quiet sure what to make of what he had seen either.

* * *

Jereth flew through the air with the expert ease that came from long practice. Below him Sarah walked down the deserted street. She was the only person that could be seen. Well, her and one idiot that came ripping through the intersection in a tricked out sports car. 

Jereth's enhanced hearing heard the sickening sound of soft flesh and hard bone giving way to the car's speed and weight.

Sarah went across the hood, the windshield, the roof, collided with the fin and finally bounced onto the ground where she lay on her side, very, very still. The person in the car kept going. Jereth dropped straight down and landed in his Human form, heedless of who might see him. Carefully, he rolled her over onto his waiting arm as he – with his heart in his throat – called her name.

She was unconscious, unmoving and unresponsive in anyway.

Jereth had never been so terrified in his long life.

From the shadows a figure watched and observed the him as he healed the Human female. This, the figure decided, would have to be reported; Jereth has a weakness for a mortal woman.

* * *

Carefully, he laid her on her – in his opinion – woefully inadequate bed and stared at her peacefully sleeping face. A finger came up and tenderly stroked her now unmarred jaw. She stirred slightly, but remained asleep. Were any to see him in that moment they would have clearly seen the conflict on his face as an internal battle fought it's self in the confines of his heart. 

In his world he could protect her, but it was not **her** **world**, she was not safe here, she did not belong in his world, he wanted her by his side, she had rejected him. On and on the argument went until, eventually, without realizing it, he began to sing. The conflict in his still pounding heart given voice. When she began to stir he fled through her open window and spread his owl wings. He would not try to fight his emotions this night – because he knew it was useless.

Sarah woke with a start and looked around, half panicking. The twenty five year old flopped back onto her bed when she realized that being hit by a car must have been no more than a bad dream. With a yawn she rolled over and went back to sleep, forgetting to take off her clothes. Had Jereth been there he would have smiled.


	2. Kidnapping

**A/N:** Sorry, had to change it from 'Twenty Years Later' to 'Ten Years Later' do to the slight problem of the fact that I'm under the age of thirty five and so I don't have the needed perspective to write the story properly if she's that age. I can, however, do a better job of it if a make her twenty five.

notwritten – Interesting? Good. I'm glade you think so.

FaeriesMidwife – Really? Me too! As long as they're well written.

yodeladyhoo – I went back and reread the prologue. You were right about the grammar so I went back and reedited it. Hopefully it's better now (I had only edited it once before posting...). As for Erik... Well I will be getting into him more at a later date, so just bear with me. Oh, and no. The Shadow figure isn't Erik.

CelestialPheonix Maiden – I am continuing, see?

And a note to everyone! If you read the prologue yesterday (April 27 2007) then you need to go back and reread it. The changes I made are not blatant, but they are important.

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Sarah, Toby and Erik were walking back to the theater. They had taken a break from rehearsing to get some coffee and, in Toby's case, ice cream. The eleven year old had fallen in love with the 'realm of fantasy' – to quote his mother – and had decided four years ago to start acting. After watching him in various roles in children's plays Sarah had managed to convince her fellow actors to let Toby fill the role of the Dragon's adopted son. Everyone thought that he was doing amazingly well. And he was.

Jereth had seen him in a few rehearsals with Sarah and had been both pleased and proud of the boy. But he was not watching them at that moment; he had several things that needed to be tended to – even if he was scared that something would happen to his beloved while he was not there to watch over her.

Unfortunately, that's precisely what happened.

Out of nowhere the shadows melted up, out of the ground to form tall figures in black cloak and cowl. They made to grab Sarah, but Toby was surprisingly fast to get over his shock and act. He yanked the one behind his sister away from her with surprising force and kicked it. Another came forward to try and subdue him. It was Sarah's turn to surprise her would-be captors now with a knee to where she was fairly certain it's gut was. She followed this by clutching her hands together and hitting the person solidly on the back. They went down with a gasp and caugh. By this time Erik had tried to fight them off as his companions had – but to his shock he couldn't. They were to strong and to tough.

This presented him with a bit of a paradox; he had met Sarah in a martial arts class. That he teaches as a first degree black belt. They haven't made it past yellow belt. And yet, the siblings were somehow taking down these... Things... That had melted out of the ground. These things that were trying to kidnap his friend and that an eleven year old boy was helping his sister fend off. He really admired the boy. He was also now somewhat scared of them, but he pushed that aside and did his best to stay out of the way since it was obvious that he – for whatever reason – couldn't hurt these... Shadow things.

But this, unfortunately, didn't stop their assailants from taking Erik when they finally subdued the William siblings. He had only one moment to curse vehemently – and wonder what in Creation was going on – before he fell into the ground with the others and was swallowed by black shadows.

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Hoggle had gotten wind of Sarah's planned kidnapping and had immediately transported himself to the to her world to try and warn her. he had been looking for several hours now – his search hampered by the need to stay out of sight – and he was beginning to despair that he would not find her in time. When he turned the corner just in time to see the Shadowlings successfully take Sarah, Toby and a mortal man he knew that his fears had just manifested.

The Dwarf stared in slack-jawed shock. He was terrified and had no idea what to do except tell the others. Hopefully, if they worked together, they could figure out why she had been targeted and get her back. Though Hoggle was fairly certain that there wasn't much hope for the latter he would still do what he could to get his first and closest friend back.

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**A/N:** Appallingly short, I know. But this way it gets updated faster.


	3. Meeting

**A/N:** Hi there people! I'm back! Sorry, I would have had this up the other day, but I wasn't able to get on to finish editing this chapter (the computer in my house is for work first and foremost). Oh, by the way, I found out that I have been spelling the Goblin King's name wrong. It's actually supposed to be _Jareth_ not _Jereth..._ Anyway, I will get on with answering all my lovely reviews.

notwritten -- Thank-you.

DarknessinShadows -- Well, that's definitely encouraging! Thank-you!

incandescent euphoria -- Jareth is being spyed on because he's a monarch; it comes part and parcel with the role. As for the "italics verses bold", well... I don't use italics for emphasis because if I am emphasising several words in a row it can end up looking like a character's thoughts when it's not supposed to be their thoughts. I'll try underlining instead. Let me know if it works.

On to the story! Sorry this is so short...

* * *

Everyone sat around the livingroom of Sarah's apartment as the silence rang deafeningly in their ears, Hoggle's words still echoing across their minds. All the people that had celebrated Sarah's victory over Jereth ten years ago were present. Back then the Goblins had initially come out of their nest behind the mirror in the master bedroom for the party, but then they had decided that they liked Sarah and have been her friends ever since. 

And now all present had just been told that she, her brother and her co-star, Erik, had just been kidnapped less than an hour ago. By Shadowlings. The bright sunlight streaming in gently from the windows and the breeze caressing the curtains lovingly seemed somehow mocking in it's soft cheer. No one wondered anymore why Hoggle had called them all to meet in Sarah's apartment.

"What are we going to do, man?" One of the Fireys, En, asked.

"We gotta rescue her!" Kal, another Firey – the rounder one – exclaimed as though he were afraid that they weren't going to.

"Sawa! Save..." Ludo agreed.

The others did as well; Sarah had to be saved. They just didn't voice it as they all bowed there heads. One question hung in the air, unspoken; how do they save her? No one had an answer for that.

Finally, Sir Didymus broke the silence.

"Perhaps we should tell his Kingship."

Everyone, except the Fireys, all exclaimed very loudly, "NO!" startling the poor little fox/squirrel half out of his wits.

"Well, it was merely a suggestion." Sir Didymus defended, straitening out from his backed-up position.

"Well, it was a bad one!" Hoggle snapped.

"Hey, at least he had one!" Ken – the Firey with the mustache – pointed out.

Again, everyone fell into heavy silence. After a while Kal decided to remind the others of something.

"Guys, don't forget; Jareth is in love with Sarah. He might help."

"That was some kind of love!" Hoggle yelled, startling everyone, "He was violent, mean and cruels to her! That's not love!"

"He was just playing the part in her story, man!" Lud, the fourth Firey with the high pitched voice, explained.

Tan – the skinniest Firey – picked up where his friend had left off.

"We've known him since he was what you guys call a baby and believe me, he ain't like that."

En picked it up now.

"Yeah. He did the whole Labyrinth thing 'cause she likes to act out her stories. He was just trying to make her happy! He even reshaped our world for her!" He suddenly turned to the mustached Ken, "He even kept that weird room. You now, the one with the weird gravity?"

"Heard about it." Ken replied.

"Man, I'd love to see that place!" Kal, the rounder one, exclaimed.

The others all agreed enthusiastically.

Hoggle made a frustrated sound and snapped, "Guys, stay focused!"

The old Goblin with the bird for a second head shifted around. Everyone turned to look at him and waited, knowing that he was about to speak.

"So... Your majesty..."

Everyone except the Fireys – three of whom were already facing that way – whirled around to face the Goblin King. The two Fireys that hadn't been facing him, but had know that he was there, turned to look at him more calmly. Jareth stood leaning against the sliding glass door, arms crossed and face expressionless.

"What..." The old Goblin continued, "Do you think... Of all of this?"

"What do I think of all of this?" Everyone got nervous as his expression darkened and he pushed off the glass door, "What do I think of all of this?" He walked over to Hoggle and took him by the ear, "I think that I should tip a certain Dwarf into the Bog of Eternal Stench!"

To say that he was furious would be understating his mood severely; Hoggle had not only implied that the King doesn't love Sarah, but had also been adamantly against telling him what had happened to her. The latter alone would have been enough to infuriate him.

"Hey, hey! Ease up Kingy!" Lud called in his high-pitched voice.

"Yeah," Kal agreed, "This ain't helping your image any!"

With a disgusted sound and expression he ruffly released Hoggle and let the frightened Dwarf stumble back to stare up at his King in wide-eyed fright. Hoggle over the years had become braver, but even so, Jareth still scared the wits out of him. It suddenly occurred to the Dwarf that he had no idea what Jareth is. He certainly isn't a Goblin.

The Goblin King started heading for the sliding glass doors leading to the balcony. He slid it open.

"So, uh, what do plan to do? Your Highness." The bird on top of the old Goblins head asked, belatedly remembering to add the honorific.

Jareth looked over his shoulder, his face an unreadable mask. None of them were really sure if he was looking at all of them, or just the bird. The King stepped out onto the balcony and away from the door – which closed of it's own accord. He moved out of sight. The others all came over to see what he was doing, but found him to already be gone.

There was a great rush of wings – far to big to belong to an owl – and everyone looked up. Nothing, save the thin layering of clouds that were quickly thickening in response to the Goblin King's mood.

Everyone suddenly wondered what other forms Jereth has. And what he is.

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**A/N:** I know, I know... This is apallingly short. I'm really sorry. You will still review right? Please review... By the way, which works better for emphasis; underlining, or bold?  



	4. Memories

**A/N:** Hi there!

...Sorry, my brain's feeling strangely fried right now so I'll just get on with answering the reviews. I apologize if my answers kind of suck. Or really suck. Or any spelling errosr...

janeitesarah -- Well, I'm certianlly flattered... And thank-you for your in-put about emphasis.

yodeladyhoo -- Okay, thank-you! Most helpful.

notwritten -- Alright then, it's three out of four for **bold**! I guess it's **bold** then.

Missy Mew -- Well, I'm glad that you don't get scared by the puppets anymore (I wish they would make movies like that now too). You're right about the 'family frendly label' thing, in fact there probably would have been one heck of an up-roar about it. As for Sarah being mean to poor Jareth, well I think she just wasn't getting what he was saying. Before you say anything to the contrary, I was that oblivious at that age and I still am (I only know if a guy was intrested because my brother or sister tells me later that he was). As for the whole thing about what's better for emphasis on words, well I got three out of four for **bold**, so **bold** it is! Sorry...

Anyway, on to the story!

* * *

Jareth flew over the Human city, the wind tugging at his wings and twisting, twirling, whipping by, over and around him. He was trying vainly to sort out his thoughts. Trying to figure out what he could do to help his beloved. Sarah had been kidnapped and he didn't know what to do about it. He didn't often get scared, but it seemed that when it came to her it happened fairly regularly – relatively speaking. It was not something he licked even remotely, but it was also something that he knew he could not escape as long as she held his heart in her small hands. 

And he was mad. Mad at her captors, mad at himself for not being there to protect her, mad at his impotency. And mad at the fact that he couldn't do anything to change the situation. But mostly he was just mad at himself.

He gave himself a mental shake and focused. A moment later he had shifted into his world, high over the Labyrinth. He wasn't as close to the castle as he had wanted to be. Irritated, he flew over to his home and went in through a window – to land in a vast... Loudly empty... Hall. Jareth mentally cringed as a wave of intense loneliness rippled through him to center in the hole that had once housed his beating heart.

This was the place he his entire extended family used to dine in, talking about their day and anything else that came to mind. Oh, how he missed them. Their voices raised in conversation, their laughter ringing out through the hall... In the world of his memories he could still hear them. The castle echoed with the silence of their absence. Oh, he had the Goblins to keep him company – almost constantly in fact – but it was no replacement for the loved ones he had grown up around and had even watched grow up.

This was one of the many reasons he had wanted to keep Toby. He'd never had any intention of turning the infant into a Goblin. Didn't have the expertise to do so. No, he had intended to adopt the boy as his own. And marry Sarah. Her brother had been the bait to get her; he had always been good at seizing upon unexpected opportunities.

In retrospect Jareth could see that it was best Toby had gone back to his family; the boy would have lived barely the blink of an eye among beings that lived for centuries while being raised by a man that could potentially live for several million years.

The Goblin King looked about the old, empty hall despite himself. Unbidden a memory fifteen years past washed through him.

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_He woke slowly at first, his mind reluctantly coming back from the world it had wandered to. Then, faster and faster, consciousness came until his eyes finally opened. Like all his family, when it came time for stasis-sleep he slept in the deepest recesses of the family's home. Grabbing the edge of the raised dais he had been sleeping on he rolled himself over – and right off his stone bed. Not what he had intended, but having still been half asleep he hadn't been thinking very clearly._

_Without making a peep he peeled himself off the floor and stood. After a moment he spun on his heel – nearly falling over in the process – and headed for the door. _

_After five minutes of searching he found it. _

_Exiting the room he meandered his way over to the kitchen. Empty – and falling apart.. Concerned, he reached out for the minds of his family members. Nothing, save a vast silence that seemed to scream at him. Where was everyone? Where had they gone? Why had they left? Perhapses, his mind whispered, they all decided to have a family outing. But with out leaving someone to be there when he woke up? Another part of him challenged._

_Terrified, he reached out beyond the confines of his home with his mind. _

_And found Goblins. An entire city full of them below the mountain his home was carved from. He could sense from the land it's self how long they had been there. He decided that he would have to go down and ask them what had happened to his family. Perhaps they would know._

_He sat down heavily on a low ledge attached to the wall. The place had once been his favorite reading room he realized through his numb haze. He looked around, his expression strangely hollow. All the books and the wooden shelves they had been on were no more than dust, dead and gone – just like his family. _

_The stone shelves – both the ones that looked like ribbons and the ones with faces carved into the underside – were still intact, but that was all. He had made those shelves; it had been part of his training to become an engineer. His mother had loved the ribbon shelves. He had been so happy at her reaction to them and had even made her similar shelves from cheerywood to be mounted on a wall. They would be little more than dust by now. If that._

_And suddenly, it hit him fully._

_Everyone... Everything... It was all gone. All dead. There was no one left. He was the last of his kind on this world. There was no one left... He was all alone._

_Somewhere deep inside of Jareth his heart had been carved out._

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_

The Goblin King pulled himself free of the memory. He was suddenly struck by the symbolic significance of the fact that he stood completely and utterly alone in a silent, empty hall that whispered with the memory-ghosts of his dead family. His face paling, he stoically walked out of the old hall, his boots trailing mocking echoes in his wake.

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Sarah had never been so scared in her entire life. Not even when Toby had been taken; back then she had been able to do something, she had known what was going on and why. Now she, Toby and her co-star Erik were all tied up – literally – and none of them knew the how or why of what was happening. Suddenly Toby and Sarah sensed... Something. It was a feeling that they didn't feel as a physical, or even emotional, thing, it was just something that they sensed.

Off and on, off and on they sensed it's erratic rhythm, as though it were pulsing to someone's emotions. The feel of it was strangely familiar Sarah. After a time it stopped altogether and she suddenly recognized the feeling. She wondered if it was Jareth or perhaps someone else.

Wisely, neither sibling made any indication that they had sensed anything.

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Frustrated, Jareth let out a roar that shook the very air and carried all the way down to the Goblin city. Every inhabitant of that city froze in utter terror. Never had they heard such a sound in all their lives. Never had they heard such a frustrated, enraged and frightened roar. Neighbors, friends and family all exchanged glances and wondered what was going on with their reluctant god-king in his mountain castle.

Jareth had tried and failed to locate Sarah and Toby; the Shadowlings could keep Erik for all he cared. He only wanted Sarah and her brother to be safe, to be as far away from danger as he could get them. But his crystals could not see past the shields around the two siblings. He didn't know what to do. Jareth was not used to feeling **this** impotent. Oh, he had experienced this feeling before, but never like this, never with something so important. He wanted to sob, but he knew that would get him nowhere so he held it in and tried to calm himself.

But the more he tried the more his fear filled him; his anger no longer there to hold it at bay. He knew that Sarah and Toby's kidnapping was, in all likelihood, his fault – however indirectly. Suddenly feeling weak he went over to the shallow stone bench protruding from, and circling, the wall. He sank down onto the seat and wished that he could do something... Anything! To find them, to keep them safe – even as the guilt that all of this had probably been caused by him ate away at him.

"I'm so sorry, Sarah..." He whispered into the silent room, staring at the blank, clear crystal sitting on it's ornate, four-legged, black stand.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm listening to "Climbing the Walls" by Backstreet Boys right now and it seems strangely fitting for Sarah and Jareth... Anyway, critique is welcome and so are comments, so please review! 

Bye for now!


	5. Creeping Black

**A/N:** I warn you; this is ridiculessly short.

yodeladyhoo -- Well, theoretically, yes you will get more of his background. I'm just not sure when. 

Uh... Well, that's it for reviews this time... That's mildly depressing.

* * *

It was a moonless sky lit only by the glittering, sparkling stars. Across this vast expanse flew a vermilion wagon pulled by four white horses of blond mane and tale and flaming hooves. Sitting in the back of this wagon sat Sarah, bound and trussed; a quarter of her forearms wrapped in silk, her lags drawn up to her chest and her arms forced around them to be tied to her ankles. Deep bruises were on her forearms where the silk dug in. If it had been rope she knew that her arms would have been broken. Sitting beside her was Erik, bound in an identical manner. 

He was staying remarkably calm. Sarah would have wondered whether or not it was shock – except that Toby was sitting across from her, two of their robed and hooded captors on either side of him, one of them with a hand on his shoulder. Ever since it had touched him he had been in a daze, his skin slowly becoming paler and paler until it turned to it's current white. Black now creeped over him in misty tendrils, steadily advancing under and above his skin.

Sarah was scared. Very, very scared.

Erik leaned over. Sarah didn't look away from her baby brother, but understood that her friend was trying to comfort her. She leaned against him in recognition and acceptance of this. They stayed like that, silently comforting one another, as the wagon was pulled through the moonless sky. They were almost at their destination.

The black started to creep into the edges of Toby's eyes.

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**A/N:** Pleeeeeassssssss review! 


	6. Author

**A/N:** Sorry guys, but I have to put this on hold for awhile. Why? Well, two reasons actually; one) I know that I can write them better and I intend to go back and do exactly that. The second reason) Theres a prequel, possibly two, that I need to write. It won't make as much sense otherwise.


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